Diamond DA 62

GaryP1007

GaryP1007

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Feb 21, 2018
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130
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Chandler, AZ
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GaryP1007
Does anyone have experience with Diamond twins? Compare say to a Baron?


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I got my multi in one. But my other multi experience is 5-6 hours in a Piper Seminole so not comparable.

Da-42 is slick-aerodynamically. It does have a critical engine. Seminole does not. I don’t know Barons. The DA-42 is not super fast, but it really shines in efficiency at altitude. 4-5 gallons per hour per engine and the turbo diesels are happy up high. Only 4 seats.
 
Says cruise is 184 kts. Do you think that’s realistic?


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At what altitude? Those turbo diesels maintain full power up to 14,000 if I remember correctly. That’s good for close to 150 down low. At 18,000? Probably. The newest ones claim 190 TAS. It’s a slippery airframe.
 
My error I am thinking about the 62.


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The 62 is sweet.. have you sat in one?

Angel City Flyers in Long Beach has at least one. Might be worth a weekend field trip if you're seriously thinking about it.. the staff there are great and they'll gladly take you up for an hour or however many you're looking for
 
Great to know. I’ve not sat in one or talked to owners who know the ins and outs. Thanks.


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I sat in one at a Lifestyle Aviation event. Very nice airplane. If I had $1.5 million lying around…
 
Looking for something that would be comfortable, safe and as economical as possible to go from Arizona to the east coast 1-2 times per year.


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GaryP1007 said:
Looking for something that would be comfortable, safe and as economical as possible to go from Arizona to the east coast 1-2 times per year.


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With what load and passengers?
 
Normally 2 people (335 pounds)
with 75 pounds of luggage.


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The 62 would be a sweet modern ride for that
 
The DA62 is a SWEET airplane. The push button start is super cool too.
 
Talked to a former DA62 owner who has a C-340 now. Sold the 62 due to very limited mx support and unacceptably long mx downtime due to parts lead time.
 
FancyG said:
Talked to a former DA62 owner who has a C-340 now. Sold the 62 due to very limited mx support and unacceptably long mx downtime due to parts lead time.
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Good to know. Thanks.


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DA-62 would be over kill for 2 up with 75lbs of baggage. DA-42 would do that nicely. But if you can swing a DA-62 it’s a sweet airplane. Neither is pressurized so to get the most benefit you’ll need o2. Get up high where the turbos diesel s really shine and TAS is faaast. Sounds to me like you’d be really happy with a newer 42.
 
jsstevens said:
DA-62 would be over kill for 2 up with 75lbs of baggage. DA-42 would do that nicely. But if you can swing a DA-62 it’s a sweet airplane. Neither is pressurized so to get the most benefit you’ll need o2. Get up high where the turbos diesel s really shine and TAS is faaast. Sounds to me like you’d be really happy with a newer 42.
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The 2 people cross country is the larger mission. In the southwest I’d see up to 4 traveling 200-500 miles. I like the speed of the 62.


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Honestly, with how insanely cheap piston twins are on the market right now you can probably find a very well equipped twin for a fraction of the price of a new Diamond

Yes the Diamond will burn a lot less gas but we're talking spending $300,000 versus well over a million, that's a ton of gas right there
 
FancyG said:
Talked to a former DA62 owner who has a C-340 now. Sold the 62 due to very limited mx support and unacceptably long mx downtime due to parts lead time.
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Guy on my field gave the same story. Loved the airplane, but too much downtime. He upgraded to a vision jet.
 
Jim K said:
Guy on my field gave the same story. Loved the airplane, but too much downtime. He upgraded to a vision jet.
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That's too bad. What was it about the plane specifically? I assume it was powerplant related? If Diamond wants to be a viable competitor to Cirrus they need to work on that
 
Tantalum said:
You guys are crazy, I'd much rather fly myself. If I owned my own plane I'd never sit on a commercial jet again, save for the occasional international trip.
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If I'm limited by where I can go with the 62 I can spring for the first class seats with GE and commercial is a much better experience. And I can buy A LOT of first class tickets for the price of a DA-62. The 62 ain't going where I'm using the Comanche for anyway.
 
GA can be faster, door to door, than commercial.

Living closer to GA airport. Don't have to be there several hours early. No intrusive security. No changing planes at some airport you don't want to be at. Waiting for your baggage at the end.
 
Pinecone said:
GA can be faster, door to door, than commercial.

Living closer to GA airport. Don't have to be there several hours early. No intrusive security. No changing planes at some airport you don't want to be at. Waiting for your baggage at the end.
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Precheck and Global Entry. Carry-on only and show up 1/2 hour before flight. Skip the line and at the gate in 5 minutes from walking in the front door. To a hub city - commercial is faster. Add in connections and anything east of the Rockies I can win in the Comanche.
 
..I think everyone's aware of how unpleasant commercial flying can be, even if you're pre-check and ultra-mega-first-class premium.. so setting that aside. I just enjoy flying. I'd rather have a front row seat with a panoramic view at our world than sit in a small tube with a tiny window. Heck, flying VFR see a cool spot on the sectional, just stop there for lunch and gas, grab the crew car and go to town. I've seen many interesting places in the US I'd never have seen just flying commercial.

I don't own (that's another life tragedy I'll set right some day) but I'd just be happier to fly my PA-28 cross country from Seattle to Miami than commercial the same trip, even if it means adding a day to my travel. So I got there in 12 hrs vs 6. That's one extra day doing something really cool that most people can't do either for intellectual, financial, or health reasons. Why wouldn't I?
 
Tantalum said:
..I think everyone's aware of how unpleasant commercial flying can be, even if you're pre-check and ultra-mega-first-class premium.. so setting that aside. I just enjoy flying. I'd rather have a front row seat with a panoramic view at our world than sit in a small tube with a tiny window. Heck, flying VFR see a cool spot on the sectional, just stop there for lunch and gas, grab the crew car and go to town. I've seen many interesting places in the US I'd never have seen just flying commercial.

I don't own (that's another life tragedy I'll set right some day) but I'd just be happier to fly my PA-28 cross country from Seattle to Miami than commercial the same trip, even if it means adding a day to my travel. So I got there in 12 hrs vs 6. That's one extra day doing something really cool that most people can't do either for intellectual, financial, or health reasons. Why wouldn't I?
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When I go west of the Rockies, I'm on a time and weather constraint. And getting out of the Great Lakes and Crossing the Rocks in Febtober ain't exactly something you can count on doing GA due to weather. The only state I haven't been to is Alaska. 48 of them in PA24/28. I got weathered out for a week just trying to GET there. Commercial, I would have been there and back.
 
Tantalum said:
That's too bad. What was it about the plane specifically? I assume it was powerplant related? If Diamond wants to be a viable competitor to Cirrus they need to work on that
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I didn't push, but I got the impression it was engine issues.
 
makes sense. As cool as that FADEC JetA burning diesel powerplant is one must acknowledge there's going to be far less field familiarity with it vs your standard Lyco / Conti
 
EdFred said:
Precheck and Global Entry. Carry-on only and show up 1/2 hour before flight. Skip the line and at the gate in 5 minutes from walking in the front door. To a hub city - commercial is faster. Add in connections and anything east of the Rockies I can win in the Comanche.
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It depends on the airport and the time of day. I have Clear and PreChek and have had some longer than 5 minute waits. Rarely, but enough that I still show up at least a hour before my flight (and that is 1 hour at the terminal, not parking and waiting for the shuttle).

As for carry on only, that does not work for everyone.

WRT time without a connection, agreed, if you happen to be going to a hub.
 
Since you're already in the price range, how about an SF50 instead?
 
Tantalum said:
..I think everyone's aware of how unpleasant commercial flying can be, even if you're pre-check and ultra-mega-first-class premium.. so setting that aside. I just enjoy flying. I'd rather have a front row seat with a panoramic view at our world than sit in a small tube with a tiny window. Heck, flying VFR see a cool spot on the sectional, just stop there for lunch and gas, grab the crew car and go to town. I've seen many interesting places in the US I'd never have seen just flying commercial.

I don't own (that's another life tragedy I'll set right some day) but I'd just be happier to fly my PA-28 cross country from Seattle to Miami than commercial the same trip, even if it means adding a day to my travel. So I got there in 12 hrs vs 6. That's one extra day doing something really cool that most people can't do either for intellectual, financial, or health reasons. Why wouldn't I?
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As one who does the country criss-cross a few dozen times a year...

I like 450kt and a beverage cart more than 200kt and an ipad with netflix. :D

...and I'm about to take Southwest out to Maine to take a baby Baron back to CA at 180... I'm not sure which direction I'm dreading most to be honest.

I'm lucky that Oakland is one of those Fisher Price "My First Airport" setups where you can stroll to the gate from curb in 10 minutes flat, with or without precheck, and get to the rest of the world with ease.
 
Tantalum said:
Yes the Diamond will burn a lot less gas but we're talking spending $300,000 versus well over a million, that's a ton of gas right there
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Any fuel savings will be offset by the ongoing maintenance expenses due to powerplant limitations.

Tantalum said:
That's too bad. What was it about the plane specifically? I assume it was powerplant related? If Diamond wants to be a viable competitor to Cirrus they need to work on that
Click to expand...

I alluded to it above, but there are engine airworthiness limitations that require periodic cash infusions. In addition to that, I'd expect that many shops have little or no interest in working on them.

The diesel Diamond that my friend owns (and I maintain) had to be flown halfway across the country for AD compliance that required an engine disassembly with 20 hours total on it. From what I was told, I was not allowed to do the work if the warranty was going to cover the AD compliance. Part of this is the result of a poor dealer network in recent years, which was the manufacturer's doing. I like Diamonds but I'm not a huge fan of the diesels at this point in time; my attitude might be a bit different if I could maintain them as I saw fit, like you would if it were a car or experimental aircraft. I don't see the diesel being economically viable for long term ownership.
 
Jim K said:
I didn't push, but I got the impression it was engine issues.
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I do know the 42 I got my multi in was in the shop for its 2 nd head gasket since new engines. The left engine had blown a head gasket at around 200 hours. Twice. The school owner told me “I hate airplanes. I love flying but I hate airplanes .” That said, it was repaired and we picked it up in under a week. And supposedly with a new style head gasket that fixed the problem. FWIW.
 
Tantalum said:
You guys are crazy, I'd much rather fly myself. If I owned my own plane I'd never sit on a commercial jet again, save for the occasional international trip.
Click to expand...
Ditto. My first time flying commercial in over 10 years was to drop my dad's Cherokee Six off for Jesse Saint to do an upgrade a few weeks ago. I was reminded how much I hate people. All I had was my very small flight bag(maybe 5"x10"x14"). The 2 mouth breathers that boarded before me already had the carry on PACKED, and where we sat was unable to stow anything underseat. I moved things to get it to fit. Getting off I learn one of the items taking up the whole damn overhead was a large hat and was getting berated by the husband for ALMOST smushing the hat.

I'm rethinking the plan of flying commercial down there to pick it up and just fly my 180 down and drop him off. But I REALLY want to take that first flight with all the new gizmo's
 
Our PA32 does good for some XC flights... but at some point it's definitely not faster than commercial. More convenient in many ways still, but not faster. I'd say at about the 1000 nm mark commercial starts to become faster due to needing bio breaks.

Racerx said:
Ditto. My first time flying commercial in over 10 years was to drop my dad's Cherokee Six off for Jesse Saint to do an upgrade a few weeks ago. I was reminded how much I hate people. All I had was my very small flight bag(maybe 5"x10"x14"). The 2 mouth breathers that boarded before me already had the carry on PACKED, and where we sat was unable to stow anything underseat. I moved things to get it to fit. Getting off I learn one of the items taking up the whole damn overhead was a large hat and was getting berated by the husband for ALMOST smushing the hat.

I'm rethinking the plan of flying commercial down there to pick it up and just fly my 180 down and drop him off. But I REALLY want to take that first flight with all the new gizmo's
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Is your Dad doing a full Dynon panel with Jesse or just some various upgrades? Earlier this year I had Jesse install an Aerocruz 100 AP and fuel totalizer in our Six. He did great work and I've been loving the new AP too.
 
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